Tote Win: £0.00 Tote Place: ££1.70,£3.00,£5.60
Straight Forecast: £0.00 Exacta: £0.00 Swingers: 1&2:£34.30 2&3:£34.30 1&3:£1.10
Jackpot: £25,000.00, Pool: £15501.3, 1.0 winning tickets
Placepot: £10.30, Pool: £144986.81, 10274.18 winning tickets
Quadpot: £5.30, Pool: £7115.56, 984.54 winning tickets
A bumper that has been won by some smart sorts in the past including Oscar Whisky and Kid Cassidy and this year's renewal may well be up to scratch despite the absence of the well-regarded Snake Eyes. There was plenty of market confidence behind DEVON DRUM even before the withdrawal of the market principal and Paul Webber confirmed that he holds the gelding in high regard with the Championship Bumper at Aintree his next port of call all being well. A Juddmonte cast-off who is related to numerous winners on the level, he travelled smoothly and quickened clear in the style of a good horse to provide further evidence of the increasing standing of Beat Hollow as a NH stallion after the Cheltenham Festival success of Cinders And Ashes. Polly Peachum is unlikely to scale the heights of her illustrious stablemates and former winners of this race but this was a pleasing debut from a filly whose dam is an unraced sister to Denman. As such, it will be no surprise to see connections try and pick up some black type. Theatrelands, another son of Beat Hollow, returned to form for his new yard after cutting little ice in a warm Ascot bumper won by Royal Guardsman where he may not have seen out the two mile trip. Utopian had been withdrawn earlier in the week due to fast ground and his amateur rider was far from hard on him here when push came to shove. He appeared to be travelling every bit as well as the winner at the top of the straight but, for all that he was readily left behind over this shorter distance, he looks capable of significantly better back up in trip on a slower surface. He had beaten the smart Triumph Hurdle seventh Ut De Sivola on his sole start in France and he should come into his own over hurdles next season. Pete The Pastor was nibbled at in the morning markets and this half-brother to jumping winners showed more than enough to believe that he can win races for his shrewd yard. On Command is another to represent wiley connections and this cheap purchase was another to indicate that he could make his presence felt in a lesser contest with this experience under his belt. They were clear of Lord Of The Dunes who had shown ability on softer ground in a similar race over this C&D but the form hadn't been working out as well as might have been expected for a contest run at this venue.